Discovery
by sunchaser116589
Summary: Eona reflects on her experiences both as Eon and Eona, exploring how to shift her identity from one to the other.


**A/N: Hey all! I'm new to this category, though not to . I haven't been on here in forever though, so I'm a bit rusty. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Not really aiming for anything special with this one; I just want to see if I can complete a scene. Feel free to point out any errors. I haven't picked up these characters in forever, lol. Alison Goodman owns the books and all the characters. I own nothing, so please don't sue me. You wouldn't get much anyway. ;)**

Eona stood in the dark corner of the stone building. The moon was waning, though bright in the sky and the open window showed a darkened branch filled with leaves swaying in the light breeze. The heat of the day was gone, leaving a sense of calm in the air. Eona's feelings, however, did not match her surroundings. She felt confused and uncertain. Her experience in the Pleasure Ward had cemented her public transformation of a declaration of womanhood but she did not know how to play the part. All of her life she had pretended to be a boy, until the pretense was not so much a pretense as it was an actuality for her. In order for her to be safe she had had to make others believe she was not who she was. To do that, she had to believe it herself. Returning to the truth was difficult, so very difficult. She had missed much and making up for lost time was proving more of a challenge than she had anticipated.

She glanced down at herself. Her legs were not sheathed as they had been when she was Eon. Now they were covered in a skirt that concealed and made movement more of a struggle. It would not have been so bad if she knew how to move in them, but a lady's walk was not something the girl currently possessed.

Eona pushed off of the wall and glanced at the reflection pond at her feet. The moon's light scattered across its surface and she saw her painted face before focusing instead on her legs. She took a few strides forward, frowning at what she saw. She was too stiff and awkward, lumbering even. She did not float as a lady ought to. She bent her knees and tried it again, somewhat succeeding, though she wrinkled her nose at the sight. After another try, the girl sighed loudly and gave up. Her head wasn't in the right place, her chin jutted too far out, her chest was puffed out like a soldier's and her walk was much too stern to pass as a noblewoman's pace.

She put her hands to her face and closed her eyes, breathing deeply before letting out another calming sigh. She started when someone cleared their throat close to her and she automatically reached for the knife that was not hanging in its customary spot.

The woman before her looked familiar. Squinting she placed her as one of the attendants who had helped her get dressed for Ido's jailbreak. Eona hesitantly smiled at her and the woman returned the smile, gesturing to her. Tilting her head, Eona took a small step forward and the woman nodded, stepping backwards. Eona walked several steps and again the woman encouraged her. Once she reached the length of the room, the woman gave her a scrutinizing look. Eona opened her mouth to question her, but the woman shook her head and grabbed her by the shoulders. About to protest, Eona was halted as the women again indicated she proceed forward. Pausing, Eona assented. At first she resisted the woman's firm grip on her shoulders, then understood that the woman was trying to fix her posture. Concentrating, she worked to still her shoulders, instead using her hips to shift weight as she took her steps. The woman smiled again, and this time it was Eona who returned the grin. As they continued to walk Eona relaxed her back and kept her upper body motionless. She was able to roll forward without any kind of abruptness of step. Delighted, she gave a peal of laughter. She was doing it! The woman dropped her hands and Eona practiced in view of the pond. This was so different from the way she normally walked, but at the same time it was not nearly as hard to accomplish as she had originally thought it would be. She watched herself glide alongside the pool of water and tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. This meant so much to her. It symbolized both her return to womanhood as well as her ability to fill that position. The woman tapped her chin and she drew her head back, noticing how it drastically changed her look. Excited, she spun on one foot and stood mesmerized as her skirts twirled gracefully around her. It wasn't often her movements could be described as 'graceful' but she had always subconsciously longed to be as elegant and refined as other women were. Her time as a boy and her tenure with her dragon had ensured that she would not be pushed to the background as women after were but she really did not want to be known as rough.

Eona had not noticed the woman leave, so enthralled with her reflection she was. Skipping quickly to the doorway, she peeked out and was dismayed to find the hallway empty. She wanted to thank that unknown woman. She had given her a gift more precious than all the gold in the kingdom: a connection to her true self.


End file.
